Wood fiber for paper-pulps and process and machine for producing the wood fiber



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. P. H. HOLMES.

Woo'dPiber for Paper Pulps, and Process and Machine for Producing Wood Fiber. No. 228,899. Patented June 15,1880.

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Patented June 15,1880.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Orrieia PHILIP H. HOLMES, OF GARDINER, MAINE.

WOOD FIBER FOR PAPER-PULPS AND PROCESS AND MACHINE FOR PRODUCING THE WOOD FIBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,899, dated June 15, 1880.

Application filed May 24, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP H. HOLMES, of Gardiner, in the county of Kennebec an d State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wood Fiber for Paper- Pulps and the Process and Machine for Producing the Wood Fiber; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in wood fiber for paper-pulp and the process and machine for producing the wood fiber.

Heretofore wood pulp lmfirdinarily been made by forcing blocks of wood against the face of a grindstone running in water, the wooden blocks being arranged so as to be ground transversely to the grain of the wood, or at right angles to the length of the fiber. This process is objectionable for various reasons, among which are the following: The fibers being severed at right angles to their length results in a product composed of very short and finely -divided particles of wood, which latter being made into paper has comparatively little strength to resist being torn and severed when employed for ordinary uses. Especially is this true when light paper is made of the ordinary wood pulp.

Again, in the grinding process it is necessary to perform the operation under Water to prevent the wood from being burned or charred, and hence the ordinary wood pulp is impregnated wit hwater, which adds very niaterially to its weightand cost of transportation The'consumer is obliged tokeep thefiber impregnated with water, because when once wet it cannot be dried without causing the mass to adhere together apd for ni it sp lf into lump s sg that it is practically impossible to sepagatg tli ss egfoififidifiber after-it has been dried. The necessityfor keeping the fiber wet until used by the manufacturer calls for an ad ditional outlay of time, expense, and risk, as the mass is liable to freeze and also to mildew.

Again, machines have been constructed for subjecting blocks of wood to the action of grindstones or cylinders, the fiber being sev- (No model.)

ered diagonally to its length; but this process is subject to all the objectionable features above noted, as the grindstones must be run in water,thereby producing finely-divided particles of ground wood impregnated with water.

Further, machines for making wood pulp have been provided with revolving and reciprocating saws, cutters, and grinding-surfaces, ordinarily arranged to operate transversely to the length of the fiber and separate it from the block by a grinding, scraping, or rasping action. Such machines have been found dcfective for the reason that the fiber is either severed into very short or minute particles, rendering it unsuitable for the manufacture of strong and durable paper,or when the revolving cutters or grinding-surfaces operate in line with thelength of the fiber the latter is chipped off from the block in varying sizes and lengths, and must be beaten for a great length of time to reduce it to the proper degree of fineness before it is suitable for use, the beating process operating to break up and destroy the length of the fiber.

The prime object of my invention is to produce wood fiber of any degree of fineness and of the desired length, the fiber to be perfectly light and gl y, and thus adapted for economical shipment and storage, and also suitable for producing paper of either" light; or heavy stock which shall be of great strength and. toughness; and with these endsinview myinvention consists, first, as a new article of manufacture, of wood fiber for paper-pulp, the fiber being cut from the block in an y desiredlen gths and degree of fineness and prepared for shipment and use in a dry condition.

My invention further consists in the process of making wood fiber for paper-pulp, consisting, essentially, in severing the fiber from revolving pieces or blocks of wood by stationary knives or cutters arranged to operate in line with the grain of the wood or the length of the fiber.

My invention further consists in a machine for producing wood fiber for paper-pulp, consisting, essentially, in the combination, with a suitable mandrel and chuck for holding and rotating a wooden block, of a series of stationary knives, cutters, or 'chisels arranged to sever the fiber from the block.

My invention further consists in the-combination, with a suitable inand'rel 'an'd chuck for holding and rotating a block or piece of wood, of two series of knives, cutters, or chisels arranged to sever the fiber from opposite sides of the block, the cutters of one series interseetin g those of the other series.

My invention further consists in certain other details in construction and combinations of parts, as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, and Fig. 3 is an end view.

A'represents the bed of the machine. B is the head-stock, and O is the tail-stock, the latter being furnished with the mandrel a. A belt-pulley, D, is secured to the live-spindle E, the latter having'a chuck, F, secured thereto.

G represents a block of wood secured between the chuck F and mandrel a, and adapted to be revolved by the live-spindle.

n opposite sidesof the bed or frame Aare placed the sliding'blocks or'rests-G"G each having a series of cutters or chisels, H, secured thereto, the cutters of one series being arranged to intersect the cuttersof the other series, so that the cutters of one series will operate on the block of wood at'one side and sever a portion of the fiber fromthe block, while the cutters of the other series will remove the remaining portion.

Gutters or chisels H are made very'sharp and secured at the angle shown in the drawings or any other suitable angle, and when the machine is in operation will operate to sever the fiber in lengths equal to the width of the cutters, the fineness of the-fibers'being regulated accordingto the rapidity with which the cutters are'fed toward the block of wood and the velocity with which the latter is revolved.

The knives or cutters maybe automatically fed toward the block of wood as follows: A gear-wheel, I, is keyed to the end of the spindle E, and meshes with gear-wheel J ,keyed to the end of worm-shaft-K. A worm-gear,-L, on shaft K engages with and rotates a wormgear, M, secured to the screw-shaft N, the latter being provided with rightand left hand screw-threads b 0. The right-hand screwthread en gages in corresponding screw-threads cut in the lower end of the adjustable rest G and the'left-hand screw-thread in the rest G Hence by revolving the screw-shaft N the sliding blocks orrests G G are drawn't'oward each other, and thus serve to automatically feed the cutters totheir work. By reversing the motion of shaft N the rests are separated for theinsertion of another block of Wood. The opposite ends of the screw-shaft are provided with handles 00, to allow-the cutters or ehisels to be adjusted by hand. Bearing P of the screw-shaft is preferably made verticallyadjustable,toenablethewormgears to be thrown out of gear whenever desired, in order to allow the cutters to be fed by hand.

In practice the machine may be operated by cone-p11 lley gearing and automatically regulate the feed, as the cutters need to be fed more rapidly after the block has been partly cut away th'anat theoutset. By employing wide cutters and feeding them slowly, at the same time revolving the block at a comparative high rate of speed, I am enabled to produce very fine and long fibers, suitable for producing paper stock of light weight and of great strength and tenacity. For heavy paper the cutters may be made narrower and fed against the block with greater rapidity.

It will be observed that in my improved processfor producing *wood fiber the fiber is not: ground, rasped, or sawed from the'block, and hence is not'impregn'ated with-watenand, further, doesnot vary in size, as isthe casein all ordinary processes. The knives or cutters, being stationary and slightly-impinging against the rapidlyqevolving block of wood, operate to neatly sever the fiber from the block, thereby producing a perfectly dry and light mass of fiber, whichma'y'be' transported at slight cost, andisin condition for'storage until-ready for use'without danger'of becoming impaired by heat, cold, or moist'ure.

In all cases where Wooden blocks {are reducedto paper-pulp by grinding,rasping, or sawing, a large percentage of the stock is reduced to dust, which is unfitfor use, while the remaining portion varies inthesize of its particles.

My'improve'd wood fiber is ofeven size and length, and when manufactured into paper produces a very superior article.

Gear-wheels I and J are adapted to be readilyremoved from the shafts and replaced by gears of difi'erent-relative diameters, to in sure any desired rapidity of feed of the'cutters ork'ni'v'es.

While I have described one form of inachine for producing the desired're'sult, I' arn aware that the machine will I admit of many variations in its construction and arrangement of parts and still efie'ct the object hereinbeforeset forth; and hence I would haveit-understood thatI do not restrict myself to the peculiar construction and combinations of parts shown and described; but,

Havingfullydescribed my i'nvention, what knives or cutters arranged to operate in line with the grain of the wood or the length of the fiber, substantially as set forth.

3. A machine for making woodfiber for paper-pulp, consisting, essentially, in the combination, with suitable devices for holding and revolving a block of wood, of a series of stationary knives, cutters, or chisels arranged to out the fiber from the block, substantially as set forth.

4. In a machine for producing wood fiber for paper-pulp, the combination, with suitable devices for holding and revolving a block of wood, of two series of knives, cutters, or chisels arranged to cut the fiber from opposite sides of the block, the cutters of one series intersecting those of the other, substantially as set forth.

PHILIP H. HOLMES.

Witnesses:

A. W. BRIGHT, 'l. B. HALL. 

